Tape rewinding accessory for computers,calculating machines,and the like



June 3, 1969 P. A. MAJORS 3,447,657 TAPE REWINDING ACCESSORY FOR COMP UTERS CALCULATING MACHINES AND THE LIKE Filed April 27, 1967 m/vEA/mk PAUL A. MAJORS United States Patent 3,447,657 TAPE REWINDIN G ACCESSORY FOR COMPUTERS, CALCULATING MACHINES, AND THE LIKE Paul A. Majors, Miarniville, Ohio, assiguor to Hill Top Research, Inc., Miamiville, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Apr. 27, 1967, Ser. No. 634,205 Int. Cl. B41j 15/16; B65h 17/02 US. Cl. 197-133 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to a tape rewinding accessory for computers, calculating machines, and the like. Such a machine generally prints figures or characters upon a roll of paper tape, which tape after printing is expelled from the machine as a long continuous ribbon. The printed or spent tape usually is expelled in a more or less disorderly fashion, either onto the office floor or into a basket or other container placed near the machine.

The spent tape leaving the machine may become quite voluminous in quantity thereby rendering difiicult any effort on the part of the machine oporator or his supervisor to check back on the printed expelled tape for possible errors or omissions. It is common also for random expulsion of the tape to result in uneven spacing of printed characters upon the tape, thereby to further confuse and add to the difficulty of back-checking any computations applied to the tape by the printing section of the machine.

An object of the present invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive rewinding accessory for the spent tape expelled from a calculator, computer, or similar machine, which accessory may be quickly and easily attached to the machine without the use of tools or any degree of mechanical skill.

Another object of the invention is to provide an accessory of the character stated, which will maintain tension on the spent tape so as to ensure uniformity of spacing of characters applied to the tape by the printing apparatus of the machine, thereby to eliminate difiiculty in back-checking the characters or figures applied along the length of the tape.

A further object of the invention is to provide a rewinding accessory for maintaining automatically an orderly storage of spent tape as it leaves a computer or calculating machine, including means to facilitate and expedite checking of printed matter applied along the length of the tape rewound and accumulated upon a reel or spool carried by the rewinding accessory.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an accessory having the hereinabove described characteristics which will automatically maintain a considerable expanse of the tape, as it leaves a machine, in an easy to read, flat condition between the machine and the spool of the accessory.

The foregoing and other objects are attained by the means described herein and illustrated upon the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the tape rewinding accessory of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the rewinding accessory shown applied to a computer, calculating machine, or the like.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-esctional view taken on line 33 of FIG. 1.

With reference to the drawing, the numeral 8 denotes generally a computer, calculator or similar machine, which usually carries a roll 10 of paper tape suitably supported for unwinding as the keys 12 are struck to print figures or characters upon a face of the tape. Such figures or characters printed upon the tape are represented by the reference numeral 14 upon FIG. 2. The tape after printing is expelled gradually from the machine 8, usually toward the rear of the machine 8, through a tape guide 16 in most instances. That portion of the printed tape which passes to the left through guide 16 in FIG. 2, may be referred to as spent tape, which usually is permitted to accumulate on top of the machine 8 in haphazard fashion, or is allowed to fall onto the floor or into a container at the rear of the machine 8, Where it accumulates as a disorderly mass.

In accordance with the present invention, an automatic tape rewinder is provided for progressively winding the spent tape upon a spool as the tape is expelled from the machine 8. The rewinder includes means for maintaining the spent tape under sufiicient tension to avoid uneven spacing of characters upon the tape during printing, and included in the rewinder is means to permit unwindnng of the tape from the storage spool at any time, for exposing applied figures or characters for checking or review.

The tape rewinding accessory is shown in perspective by FIG. 1, and may comprise a frame having a pair of spaced parallel side members 18 and 20 connected at their lower edges by one or more struts or bottom spacers 22 which maintain the side members 18 and 20 in upright position. The forward ends 24 of the side members 18 and 20 may be provided with suitable means for attaching the accessory device to a part of machine 8, to prevent accidental displacement of the device during use. In the example shown, the forward ends 24 of the side members 18 and 20 are provided with hook-like members 26 to slidingly engage opposite end portions of a shaft 28 which supports the roll of tape 10 applied to machine 8.

Attachment of the accessory device to machine 8 may be affected in any other suitable manner, as will be understood.

Between the side members 18 and 20 is supported a rotatable winding spool 30 for spent tape expelled from machine 8.'The leading end of the tape may be secured to the spool 30 in any suitable manner, for example by means of an adhesive or a mechanical anchorage] coaxial shaft 32 may provide the means for supporting the spool 30 in parallelism with tape roll 10.

Means is provided for yieldably rotating the takeup spool 30 in proper direction for winding the spent tape thereon, as the tape advances through the printing section of machine 8. Said means may be a conventional motor 34, herein shown as a spring motor having a winding key 36, and a drive shaft 38. The motor may be an electric motor, if desired.

The drive shaft 38 of motor 34 has a slipping clutch connection with spool 30, so that the tape being wound upon the spool 30 will be tensioned, but not torn apart, while the tape is static in machine 8. That is to say, the motor shaft 38 may rotate without rotating the spool 30, whenever the tape is not feeding through machine 8, or when machine 8 is idle and not in use.

Due to the tendency of motor 34 always to rotate spool 30, the tape wound upon the spool 30 will be maintained under longitudinal tension to avoid slack in the tape feed which heretofore resulted in uneven spacing of figures or characters applied thereto by the printing means of machine 8. As was heretofore mentioned, the uneven spacing of imprints upon the tape is to be avoided, as it rendered the tape diflicult to read when checking for errors or ommissions. By maintaining tension upon the tape at all times, the printing is enhanced and rechecking is greatly facilitated.

In FIG. 3 is shown conventionally a slip clutch 40 through which the motor shaft 38 drives spool 30. The clutch 40 may be of any appropriate type; for example, it may be a magnetic clutch comprising two magnetized discs 42 and 44 arranged in face to face contact, the disc 42 being secured to drive shaft 3 8 whereas disc 44 is fixed to an end of spool 30 concentrically with the spool axis. As long as resistance to rotation of spool 30 is not of a high value, clutch disc 42 is capable of transmitting rotation to disc 44 and the spool 30 thereto attached. However, when a static condition of the tape occurs in machine 8, the tape acts to oppose rotation of spool 30, causing the clutch 40 to slip while motor 34 remains in operation. The tape thereby is kept under tension but no winding of the tape upon the spool 30 occurs due to the slipping action of clutch 40.

From the foregoing explanation it will be understood that the slipping clutch 40 permits a person at any time to pull spent tape from the rewind spool 30 for inspection or checking, regardless of operation of the motor 34 or machine 8. After the inspection or checking of the tape, release of the tape from the hand of the inspector allows the motor 34 to resume rotation of the spool 30 and winding of the spent tape thereon. The tape thereby is kept always in an orderly condition for inspection, and will not clutter the work area about the computer or calculating machine 8.

The manner of supporting rewind spool 30 and making connection with the slipping clutch 40, is capable of considerable variation in practice. As herein disclosed by way of example, spool shaft 32 is fixed relative to the spool and has an end 46 journaled in a bearing slot 48 carried by side member 18. The opposite end 50 of shaft 32 may be journaled in a bearing within clutch disc 42 for relative rotation. The complementary clutch disc 44 may be fixed to shaft 32 or to an end of spool 30 so as to rotate therewith. Clutch disc 42 may be fixed upon drive shaft 38 for rotation therewith in a bearing 52 carried by side member 20.

The numeral 54 indicates a disc fixed upon an end of shaft 32, to serve as a means for conveniently rotating the spool 30 by hand, in winding or unwinding spent tape stored upon the spool 30. Spool 30 may be made separable from its shaft 32 for discarding, whenever the spool 30 acquires a maximum amount of spent tape.

What is claimed is:

1. A tape rewintling accessory device for attachment to a machine of the computer or calculator type which has a shaft carrying a tape roll and which machine applies data to and expels tape progressively in long ribbon form; said device comprising in combination: a frame comprising a pair of spaced parallel elongated flat platelike side members rigidly connected at their lower edges by a bottom spacer plate, said side members having their forward ends extended and provided with integral hook means for attachment to the shaft of said tape roll, a removable winding take-up spool supported by and between the side members and normally, in operative position, being parallel with said shaft of said tape roll, and means carried by said side members for yieldingly rotating the take-up spool in a direction for winding said expelled tape thereon, said rotating means comprising a motor carried by one of said members having slipping clutch connection with the take-up spool.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,056,657 3/ 1913 Friedman 197-68 1,098,116 5/1914 Ireland 197-133 1,105,082 7/1914 Karlberg et al. 197-133 1,169,318 1/1916 Cooper 197-133 1,286,820 12/ 1918 Sorensen 197-180 1,762,749 6/1930 Tauschek 197-133 2,264,855 12/1941 Pasinski 197-133 X 2,497,264 2/ 1950 Klosterman 197-133 2,787,357 4/1957 Segui 197-133 2,843,247 7/1958 Runde 197-133 3,285,384 11/1966 Sharp 197-187 ERNEST T. WRIGHT, IR., Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 242-671 

